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Water in the 21st Century

Water holds the key to sustainable development. We need it for health, food security, and economic progress. Yet, each year brings new pressures.

— Ban Ki-moon, UN Secretary-General, 2013

The distribution and availability of water are defining features of life. As populations increase and global temperatures rise due to human-induced climate change, we will see more frequent droughts and floods, with an increasing scarcity of freshwater. These changes will have tremendous implications for human health, global food security, and the stability of global society.

Rishi R. Masalia is a PhD candidate in the Dept. of Plant Biology at the University of Georgia studying the genetics of drought resistance in sunflower. He is a former University of Arizona Wildcat, Coca-Cola addict, smooth dance machine, science fiction savant, and all around nerd. Rishi is a founding member of the Athens Science Cafe, and co-founder of the Athens Science Observer of which he is Editor-in-Chief and Advice Editor. He can be reached at masalia@uga.edu, or followed on Twitter @RishiMasalia. More from Rishi R. Masalia.